Encounter
by Victoria Alatamir Wan
Summary: It is easily forgotten, but nations are also people. Their feelings are cast to the side in times of war, for the curse of a nation is the curse of servitude to their people and leaders. America/Japan. Rated for blood in later chapters. ::NOW COMPLETE::
1. Prologue

**Encounter**

_A/N: Yes, I should be working on "Sacrifice", but I needed to get this out of my system. I promise the fourth chapter of "Sacrifice" will be up sometime over the Labor Day weekend, okay? I'm not going anywhere so it's probably going to be a good time for writing. -.-_

_Anyway, so I was reading this book about Pearl Harbor, and I realized I haven't written an America/Japan fanfic yet. And I really like that pairing too. It's really cute~ _^.^

_So...yeah. Enjoy the story!_

~*~*~ November, 1941

Alfred wants nothing to do with this Second World War. He has friends and family on both sides. America feels the same. The people still remember the devastation caused by the Great War.

But his leader, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, wants to send aid to England and France's fight against Germany and help China drive the Japanese out of his house. Even though Congress passed the Neutrality Acts, he has managed to get the Lend-Lease program going.

When Japan (no, Kiku) sends word that he and his leaders want to find a peaceful resolution so America and Japan won't have to go to war, Alfred is more than eager to let them come and talk things over with President Roosevelt, for more reasons than one. He and Kiku haven't seen each other in so long and they can't wait to see each other again.

The minute Japan steps off the plane, Alfred practically tackles him and wraps him in a tight hug. "I missed you so much, Kiku," he murmurs softly. Kiku blushes fiercely, whispering, "No, not here!" and extricating himself from Alfred's arms.

Alfred knows it's only because Kiku disapproves of public shows of affection; Kiku's dark brown eyes are shining with love and barely-restrained excitement at being with Alfred again. So Alfred just takes Kiku's hand and tugs him back to where a fondly-smiling President Roosevelt is waiting.

All too soon, Japan has to leave again. On their last night together, Kiku actually curls up in Alfred's arms, something he normally would be reluctant to do. (That is, unless Alfred puts on his adorable puppy-dog face. Then Kiku has no choice but to agree.) The two relax together in a comfortable silence, until Alfred speaks, hesitantly.

"Kiku..."

"Yes?"

"You know, this might be the last time we ever see each other." Kiku lifts his head to look at Alfred incredulously. There is no trace of humor in Alfred's sky blue eyes.

"Yes, I know. China...and Germany...they might attack." Kiku sighs. He hates feeling so useless, not even knowing who his allies are planning to attack.

Let's enjoy our time together while we can...

The thought hangs unspoken, yet somehow understood by both of them. Kiku snuggles deeper into Alfred's embrace. "Good night, Alfred," Kiku says, stifling a yawn; he's been busy these past few days.

"'Night," Alfred replies, watching Kiku slowly fall asleep, his silky black hair unusually rumpled.

Kiku has to wake up early the next morning to catch his flight. Alfred insists on driving him to the airport, if only to be able to spend a little bit more time with him.

Before Japan steps on the plane, he hugs America—in public!—and whispers something quietly into Alfred's ear. Alfred looks surprised but nods. He kisses Kiku lightly on the cheek before Japan turns and boards the plane.

Alfred is not looking forward to these weary months ahead without Kiku.

_A/N_

_...I actually wrote fluff? Dang, I'm surprised. The next chapter's going to be sad, though. Seems like I can only write sad stories...xD_

_Just a side note: This is supposed to take place a few weeks before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, just in case you guys didn't figure that out. _:)_ So...yeah._

_Next chapter is going to be Alfred's point of view on Pearl Harbor/Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If possible, the third chapter is going to be Kiku's point of view on those events._

_Okay, I know this probably sucked, but reviews (and constructive criticism) are welcome as always!_

_V._


	2. America

**Encounter**

_A/N: Little change of plans here: I decided to make the Pearl Harbor chapter from Alfred's POV and the Hiroshima/Nagasaki chapter from Kiku's POV. I was going to put them both in the same chapter but it was getting too long. _xD

_So without further delay..._

~*~*~ December 7, 1941

I had just started down the stairs at my house, on my way to another meeting with the rest of the Japanese diplomats. Suddenly, a spasm of pain shot through my right leg and I fell down the rest of the stairs, conveniently bruising my back and sides.

In my mind, I could hear my people screaming.

_Pearl Harbor. __Pearl Harbor._

When I closed my eyes, I could see hundreds of mustard-yellow warplanes circling low in the brilliant blue of the Hawaiian sky. There was a rattle of machine-gun fire somewhere near me, and a wounded plane lurched, then plummeted towards an airplane hangar.

As the plane spiraled past, I saw the symbols painted on its wings and my heart clenched. There was a red sun painted on each wing.

_Oh God, not Kiku, not Kiku..._

_Is Kiku really behind all this?_ I wondered as I painfully dragged myself to the phone in the office. _No, he wouldn't, not him, not my darling Kiku..._

England answered the phone on the second ring. "What is it now, America?" he grumbled. He sounded annoyed, but I knew he wasn't.

"England," I gasped out. "I need you to get over here. As fast as possible."

"What? What's wrong, Alfred?" he asked, the annoyance disappearing completely, replaced by fatherly concern. Even all these years after Canada and I became independent, he still considers himself our father.

"Pearl Harbor got attacked," I said, wincing at the throbbing pain in my leg.

"Should I tell Mathieu? What about Kiku?" I could distantly hear the sound of a car engine starting up in the background, followed by the sound of a slamming door.

"Yeah, bring Matty. But don't tell Kiku please." I could hear Arthur saying something to someone else. There was a murmur of agreement from the other person and footsteps.

"We'll be there in an hour or less, Al. Hang in there, frère, okay?" came Canada's voice. "Oui," I mumbled, and there was a click as Mathieu hung up.

I let the phone slip out of my grasp and laid back. It was so fortunate that Arthur and Mathieu had already been heading down to my house for an early family Christmas celebration. If they hadn't, well, God knows what might have happened to me.

Unbidden, Kiku's words floated back into my mind. "Don't worry, everything will be all right. No matter what happens, I'll always be at your side," Kiku had whispered to me just before he left. I felt sick to my stomach. Had Kiku known about this all along? Had he been plotting this even as our diplomats discussed possible neutrality? Suddenly weary, I closed my eyes and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

It seemed like an eternity later when Arthur yelled, "Alfred! Where are you?" I called out, "Here," with as much volume as I could manage (which, admittedly, wasn't much). Arthur must have heard me though, because a minute later he and Mathieu burst into the room, Kumajirou following behind them.

"Mon Dieu...what happened, Al?" Canada asked, shocked.

"Pearl Harbor," I mumbled, my eyes still closed.

"Come on, we've got to get you to the hospital." Arthur knelt at my side and carefully picked me up.

"Hey, cut that out. I'm fine. Quit worrying so much," I protested, before my eyes fluttered closed and I passed out.

~*~*~

Arthur was pacing in the hospital waiting room, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, 'If Alfred dies, I'm going to bring him back and kill him myself!' Mathieu was quiet as always, absently playing with Kumajirou's fur. To a stranger, he probably appeared perfectly at ease, but Arthur knew him well enough to see that he was worried sick for America.

Presently, a red-haired nurse stepped into the waiting room. "Arthur? Mathieu?" Arthur whirled around and Mathieu looked up. She smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry; your brother will be fine. He has a compound fracture on his right leg and a few bruises from—did you say he fell down the stairs?" Arthur nodded. "Oh, that would explain it then. He lost quite a bit of blood, but nothing too serious. Do you mind if we keep him here overnight to make sure no infection sets in?"

"No, of course not. Are you sure he'll be all right?" Arthur asked, his emerald green eyes still concerned.

"Absolutely." The nurse chuckled quietly, her light blue eyes sparkling.

~*~*~

The next day, President Roosevelt officially declared war on Japan. Germany, Italy, and the other members of the Tripartite Pact accordingly declared war on me two days later.

That night, after Arthur and Mathieu fell asleep, I locked the door to my bedroom and cried myself to sleep for the first time since...well, a long time.

~*~*~

Across the sea, in Japan, Kiku looked towards the east, tears trickling down his cheeks, and whispered a silent apology he knew Alfred would never hear.

~Finis~

_A/N: The way I think of it, when Pearl Harbor got attacked, it didn't hurt America that much. The attack only crippled America's Pacific fleet and killed a lot of people. So...yeah. That's just what I think. _;)

_As always, read and review! Constructive criticism welcome. _^.^

_V._


	3. Japan

**Encounter**

A/N: Ack, I just realized I haven't updated this in like, forever. Sorry about that, school and all that got in the way...

Um, this is not researched very well, so don't, like, trust this for school projects or something.

**~*~*~**

"...I ask that Congress declare that since the dastardly and unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Empire of Japan."

Emperor Hirohito finished reading President Roosevelt's letter and looked around at all of us expectantly. I kept my gaze carefully blank as I glanced around the meeting room from my position at the door. All of the high-ranking military officials were there, ready to discuss tactical strategies for subjugating America and his people.

My people were thoroughly convinced that Japan was unstoppable, that it would only be a matter of time before my army would gain the rest of Asia and the Pacific. Maybe then all the Western powers would finally acknowledge our power and respect us.

Personally, I wondered why we had to attack America, of all nations. Yes, his president was supplying France and England with wartime necessities, and had cut off all supplies of metal and ammunition to us, but that didn't mean that they had declared war on us!

"Nihon!" The Emperor's sharp reprimand startled me out of my thoughts and I blinked in surprise, unaware that we had already launched into a discussion.

Naval Marshal General Isoroku Yamamoto—the one who had planned the Pearl Harbor bombing—sighed. "I proposed sending our kamikaze planes to destroy the rest of America's Pacific fleet."

That caught my attention. "Our attack on Pearl Harbor did not destroy all their ships?"

Prime Minister Hideki Tojo probably would have rolled his eyes at my ignorant question, were it not for the fact that he was dignified enough not to. "No. Their three aircraft carriers were all out of the harbor that morning. If you remember, they were the main focus of our attack," he said, his tone sounding slightly superior.

"Is there not another alternative that will not result in so many American casualties?" I asked, trying (and failing) to keep the concern out of my voice.

"Kiku, this isn't between you and Alfred. This is between the United States and the Japanese Empire. You cannot let your feelings govern what you do in times of war. Do I make myself clear?" the Emperor asked, his voice holding just a hint of a dangerous edge.

"Yes, Emperor." I bit my lip to keep from openly expressing my anger.

~*~*~  
Even though I fought in the front lines with my soldiers, I never met America on the battlefield. Sometimes I thought I saw Alfred fighting far off, but we never came face-to-face, and for that I was eternally grateful.

I could not have just struck him down, and I was relatively certain he wouldn't hurt me either. What to do then? I knew neither of us would surrender...

~*~*~  
Early one August morning, around eight o'clock, a certain blond American crept silently into the Japanese encampment on a little Pacific island and woke me with a hand pressed over my mouth.

I had no clue how he had gotten past the sentries, but he motioned for me to follow him and began sneaking out. I was confused, but I grabbed my sword and followed him out of the camp and around a curve in the island cliffs.

Once we were safely out of earshot of any of the sentries, Alfred rounded on me. "Japan, why did you bomb Pearl Harbor?"

I sighed, knowing this was going to come up sooner or later. "I was opposed to the plan from the start, America. I didn't want to hurt you at all, but my Emperor said that you would be too afraid to retaliate. And you know nations have to listen to their leaders."

Alfred bit his lip. "Sorry," he apologized, stepping closer and laying his hand tenderly on my cheek.

"It's all right, Alfred," I whispered, feeling myself being pulled into a gentle hug. I almost didn't hear him mumble, "No, it isn't," before he released me. "Kiku...why won't your leaders surrender?"

"They are too proud to surrender......They think it's a dishonor to their homeland."

Alfred looked off into the distance, the sun making his golden-blond hair look fiery orange. "That might make things difficult," he mused quietly, his voice filled with regret.

He looked back at me, slowly drawing his gun. "I'm sorry I have to do this to you, Kiku." He raised the gun and fired.

I couldn't get my sword up fast enough to block the bullet, and it tore through my midsection, snapping a couple ribs. I cried out, softly, my vision going black for a minute. I stumbled back a few steps, and braced myself against the rocks.

I could hear my people screaming, and I realized I could no longer feel Hiroshima. How could a single bomb wipe out a whole city?

"Kiku, don't make me do this again," begged Alfred. "I don't want to hurt you." He was almost crying.

I replied, quietly, "You know I cannot surrender." My left hand rested on the grip of my sword, and my right hand was pressed tightly against my side in an effort to staunch the blood flow.

Suddenly, Alfred grabbed his pistol and fired a second time. I swung my sword in an arc to deflect it. The bullet ricocheted off the blade and landed in the dirt beside us.

"I…Kiku, I'm sorry," Alfred whispered, the tears finally spilling over. He raised his gun and fired again, the bullet shattering my hip. I screamed in pain and fell.

Alfred leaped to catch me before I hit the ground, and the last thing I felt before I passed out was his tears falling from his face to mine.

~*~*~  
Alfred gathered up Kiku's limp form in his arms, unmindful of the blood staining his shirt, and carried him back to the Allied base.

He told the nurse at the medical center that they had been out scouting when someone, mistaking Kiku for an enemy soldier, fired at them and fled into the woods before he could be identified. The nurse let him pass.

Inside, Alfred carefully removed Kiku's torn uniform and cleaned his wounds, bandaging them tightly. He laid Kiku on a vacant bed and gently brushed his hair out of his face before he went back to the tent he shared with England.

"Alfred...what's wrong?" England asked, seeing the drying tears on Alfred's face.

"President Truman gave the order to bomb Japan," America answered, his voice shaking.

"I'm sorry, brother," Arthur said, getting up and pulling Alfred into a gentle embrace.

~*~*~

When I woke up, Arthur was standing by my bedside, tending to my wounds. "Where's Alfred?"

His mouth twitched into a small smile. "He's in our tent, beating himself up over everything that happened. Again."

"Tell him I don't hold this against him. I know he didn't have a choice," I said, realizing that Alfred was feeling guilty about the bombings.

"I will. I'm not entirely sure it will help, though. Knowing Alfred..." Arthur sighed.

"Yes, him and his obsession with being the hero all the time," I agreed.

~*~*~

_Kiku—_

_I hope you can find it in your heart, somewhere, to forgive me, even after all this. I didn't want to hurt you, really. I just...didn't have a choice. _

_If you still can't forgive me though...that's okay. I'll understand. I know I did a terrible thing to you and your people. I shouldn't even __deserve__ forgiveness._

_I love you, Kiku. Never forget that. As long as our nations stand, as certain as the rising sun._

—_Alfred _

~*~*~

A/N: ...And that concludes this story. Just a few notes:

-The attack on Pearl Harbor was aimed towards destroying the three American aircraft carriers. These ships later proved invaluable in notable Pacific battles. At Midway, Japan lost its four aircraft carriers and that turned the tide of the war in favor of the Allies.

-The Japanese were known to prefer death over surrendering, often committing mass suicide rather than surrender to the Allies.

-After the B-29 bomber _Enola Gay_ dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the Japanese government still refused to surrender. President Harry S. Truman gave the order to bomb another Japanese city, originally choosing Kokuro as the target. There were clouds over Kokuro, and the crew of the plane eventually chose Nagasaki as its target.

-As for the location of Kiku's injuries, if you look at a map of Japan, and compare the relative locations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to Tokyo (the heart of the country), you'll see why I chose those specific places for Alfred to aim for. Link: http :// www. haverford. edu/deans/ IAP /pictures /japanmap. gif (Get rid of all spaces)

Review please? Thanks~


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